White House.: Jackson 'tragic,' 'icon'

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"From his performances with the Jackson 5, to the premiere of the 'moonwalk' and 'Thriller,' Michael was a pop phenomenon who never stopped pushing the envelope of creativity," Schwarzenegger wrote. "Though there were serious questions about his personal life, Michael was undoubtedly a great entertainer and his popularity spanned generations and the globe. Maria and I join all Californians in expressing our shock and sadness over his death and our hearts go out the Jackson family, Michael's children and to his fans worldwide."

Obama could also feel some desire or pressure to memorialize Jackson's death since the two men are surely among the best known African-Americans of recent decades. Black civil rights leaders such as Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson were among the first figures to appear on television Thursday to mourn Jackson's passing.

When Presidents Carter and Clinton issued their statements marking the passing of, respectively, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, they glossed over the entertainers’ flaws. Carter's statement neatly avoided the last decade and change of the King's career, instead recalling when, "More than 20 years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled." And the statement on Sinatra made no mention of his famous dalliances with women, and made men.

Still, presidents have faced criticism for gilding the lily when mourning famous Americans. When former Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) died last year, President George Bush praised Helms as “a fearless defender of a culture of life and an unwavering champion of those struggling for liberty.” Bush went on to call Helms “a kind, decent, and humble man.”

That irked some Americans who viewed Helms as an unreconstructed racist, who tormented a black colleague, blocked African-Americans from the federal bench, and objected to funds for HIV treatment.

“Senator Helms was not a kind or decent man,” University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack wrote on the Huffington Post. “I don't know how he treated close friends and immediate family, and I don't really care. In his public and political life, he was loathsome.”

Pollack said Thursday that he views Jackson as more deserving of sympathy. “There was something about Michael Jackson that was deeply amiss, that he never was able to effectively address. I think we can celebrate his great talent and really feel a genuine sense of sadness and compassion for his sad life,” Pollack said.

“An entertainer is different,” Glastris said. “With entertainers, we just accept some weirdness—and Michael Jackson was a weird dude. No getting around that.”

In just over five months in office, Obama has already marked the passing of several famous figures, including historian John Hope Franklin, President Bongo of Gabon, and former President Roh Moo-Hyun of South Korea. But he has not faced pressure to comment on the death of a figure many Americans view as morally ambiguous.

Here’s a look at how past presidents have marked the deaths of controversial people:

When former senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) died in 2003, Bush praised his “extraordinary life,” military and public service. The president was not as effusive as he was about Helms, but still omitted any mention of Thurmond’s history as a segregationist and opponent of civil rights.

It's a tricky situation for Obama, but I think because Michael Jackson has entertained millions of people around the world and has made so many people happy - because that's what mega idols do, they make their fans happy - he deserves a last goodbye from his cool-dude president. After all, Michael Jackson made the rode to the White House a bit easier due to his influence on our pop culture, making many people grow up color-blind...and vote for Obama.

By the way, I personally believed in his innocence. I knew and understood where he came from. Some people are unique and therefore are misunderstood. It was all about extortion.

It took Obama way to long to make a statement about the state sponsored murder that is taking place in Iran, so why would anyone expect a timely statement in this matter. Maybe he is waiting on the results of his internal polling and focus groups to formulate his public opinion. Hopefully someone will fire up the teleprompter soon and a statement about these unfortunate deaths with be coming soon.

Uhhhhhh. Uhhhhhhh. Uhhhhhh. I'm sorry the pedophile is dead. But under my healthcare plan he would have been dead much sooner because we won't invest precious government healthcare dollars on human train wrecks.